Business Spotlight: Central States Industrial Equipment and Service Inc.

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by Ashleigh Behlmann|ret||ret||tab|

SBJ Contributing Writer|ret||ret||tab|

sbj@sbj.net|ret||ret||tab|

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Central States Industrial Equipment and Service Inc. has grown to serve a number of specialized markets since moving to Springfield in 1984. |ret||ret||tab|

The manufacturer, developer, and distributor of industrial products was founded in 1977 in Jefferson City by Jim Cook and, in its early days, functioned primarily as an installer of stainless steel piping systems.|ret||ret||tab|

While the company does still handle some installation and distribution, its focus has shifted to development and production, said Mark Cook, company president and co-owner with his father Jim Cook. Since expanding its focus, the company has grown to an 85-employee enterprise that reaped approximately $20 million in revenues last year. |ret||ret||tab|

Central States Industrial's flagship product is a highly specialized piece of equipment called a fluid transfer panel. This instrument boasts applications in a variety of fields. |ret||ret||tab|

"Our specialty is the piping aspect of process systems for companies that make products that go in you or on you. So whether it's Coca-Cola, Ragu Spaghetti Sauce, toothpaste, Vaseline Intensive Care Lotion, Kraft or Hiland Dairy products, those kinds of products go through the kind of piping that we are involved in stainless steel, high purity, easily cleanable, easy to take apart that is the area of our focus," Mark Cook said. |ret||ret||tab|

Central State Industrial is, according to Cook, unique in its level of specialization with this type of panel. |ret||ret||tab|

"We have focused more on developing it than anyone else in the country. The flow transfer panel and the utility stations we produce are built for high purity situations. The utility station is built for laboratory use. It is designed to deliver utilities chilled water, clean steam, or Argon, Nitrogen and other gasses from a gray space' (utility area) behind the unit to a clean space," Cook said. |ret||ret||tab|

The flow transfer panel is primarily for production applications. It is used in conjunction with large tanks such as those seen in dairy production "It is a device used to route fluids like cleaning solutions, buffer solutions, and finished products. It is old technology it's just a matter of unhooking a section of pipe and changing to another selection it offers a make/break connection that a valve typically cannot," Cook said. |ret||ret||tab|

Essentially, what makes Central State Industrial's products so appealing to clients is that they nullify the risk of product contamination by cleaning solutions, etc., while some valve systems may carry that risk. |ret||ret||tab|

"The idea of a transfer panel is that it offers a break in the line," Cook said. There is no risk of contamination because the pipes physically detach from the tank or vessel containing a manufacturer's product. |ret||ret||tab|

These transfer panels are custom produced for companies around the country and vary in size and complexity. |ret||ret||tab|

"Not many of our jobs are around Springfield. We have product in the shop that will be going anywhere from New Jersey or Pennsylvania to Southern California," Cook said. |ret||ret||tab|

"We do work for companies around the world, too," said Marketing Director Tina Phillips. "We recently finished a job for a company in Ireland and one in Belgium." The company's products are shipped to such diverse locations due to their variable applications. Cook said that CSI has clients in the food, dairy, beverage, pharmaceutical and biotech industries. |ret||ret||tab|

In the process of honing these systems, CSI has advanced in material use. |ret||ret||tab|

"Many of the processes, especially in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, use compounds that will corrode normal stainless steels. About four years ago we made the decision to step into some different alloys of stainless steel. |ret||ret||tab|

"Traditionally, the food, drink and beverage industries use either 304 stainless steel which is what your forks and knives are made of or 316L, which is a little bit more noble an alloy. These alloys have limitations. So we made the decision to step up and begin providing much higher alloys, which is beginning to show success around the U.S. and around the world," Cook said. |ret||ret||tab|

This step has important implications in the food industry, as well, since common products high in sodium chloride, such as soy sauce, are highly corrosive. "We were one of the first companies to bring these alloys to these segments of the market," Phillips said. |ret||ret||tab|

CSI caters to its target industries through attention to details during production. The company uses welding techniques that result in an easier-to-clean surface. |ret||ret||tab|

"The welding is smooth with no filler. This makes it much easier to clean. Different types of welding would leave burrs and bubbles in the metal," Cook said. For equipment produced for the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, all welds are recorded to assure greater quality control. |ret||ret||tab|

"Every weld has a weld number, which is recorded in a log. The company can use that to trace the welder, equipment settings, any details about that weld," Cook said. |ret||ret||tab|

CSI provides finishes specific to the pharmaceutical and biotech industries ."Usually the biotech and pharmaceutical products require smoother finishes, which require a process called electro polishing. It changes the chrome/iron ratio, which improves corrosion resistance and brings it to a mirror finish," Cook said. |ret||ret||tab|

Cook added that 30 percent of CSI's business is biotech, a figure the company hopes to grow in the future. |ret||ret||tab|

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